Stress can result from psychological, physiological and/or physical reasons. When under stress, the body responds by increasing cortisol output from the adrenal glands. Normal cortisol levels are not detrimental. In fact, cortisol is both beneficial and protective in controlling blood pressure, blood sugar levels, inflammation as well as strengthening cardiac muscle. A normal cortisol rhythm should peak in the morning hours and then steadily decline through the day with the lowest levels at night. When the body experiences chronic stress, over time these levels increase above optimal range.An acute rise in cortisol is not a bad thing, as it is the natural adrenal response to stress, like when you get a common cold, or experience an isolated stressful event or during exercise. However, when stress becomes unresolved or chronic, cortisol is continuously elevated and the body enters what is known as the adrenal resistance phase.Chronically elevated cortisol levels are both inflammatory and catabolic and cause a myriad of disorders including: thyroid and metabolic dysfunction, cognitive decline, low serotonin levels resulting in depression, irritability, anxiety, carb cravings, immune suppression, altered glucose metabolism, elevated lipid levels, increased blood pressure, low melatonin levels resulting in altered sleep patterns, musculoskeletal issues resulting in difficulty recovering from exercise and possible subsequent injuries. Cortisol levels are also related to mental acuity and can factor into degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

21 years old. Used to get depressed once in a while. My Pops told me that occasionally feeling down was just part of life's rich pattern. So, instead of getting all emo and weepy I would go home and take a nap. Worked every time.

fluffy2097:Nidiot: Enough with the various diagnostic tools, get on with finding a cure.

We have plenty of cures.

We have no diagnostics for depression.

What causes depression? We don't really know.

What is a normal amount of serotonin? We don't really know, and can't even test it.

Dopamine? Norepenephrine? Well we know they are involved...

Why do seizures inhibit depression in some people? No idea...

/If we had proper diagnostics, medicating wouldn't be such a hit or miss affair.

We most certainly do not have a cure. We have some medications that may result in improvements in symptoms for some people. Antidepressants work only very slightly better than the placebo in trials, but since depression is so goddamned awful, sufferers will gratefully take any help they can get.

There are also people, myself included, that are classed as "treatment resistant" because nothing at all has worked at all, or only worked temporarily as the medication ceases to have any effectiveness after a time. The idea that all you have to do is go to the doctor, he prescribes you with some pills, and you are back to normal in a few weeks, is rubbish. Even the idea that if you try enough medications you will eventually find one that works is mostly rubbish. It works that way for some people but certainly not all, and my idea of a cure is a medication that actually works, so that no one at all need ever suffer from this hideous disorder.

I agree with you that it is a hit or miss affair, but what good better diagnosis if there are still no good medication throw at it? I'd rather be told they've no idea what it is I've got but that they've seen it before and they know how to make me better, over being told they know exactly what I've got but they can't do a damn thing about it.